Breathe Easy
by fagur fiskur
Summary: Dean and Cas get locked together in a closet while on a case. That's pretty much it. Dean/Cas, pre-slash.


**A/N: **30 (more) cheesy tropes #3 Locked in a closet together

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><p><strong>Breathe Easy<strong>

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><p>They'd taken this case because it sounded <em>easy<em>. Just some malevolent spirit - a ghost or a poltergeist most likely - haunting a sweet old lady's house. It hadn't even killed anyone, just scared the hell out of the cat, and the only reason they'd even heard of it at all was because old Mrs. Daniels knew Garth and he'd pointed her to them.

So far, it had been a humiliating experience. Not only had the failed to figure out what kind of spirit was haunting the house, but it had managed to separate them from Sam and then somehow stuffed Dean and Cas into the tiny hallway closet.

Dean found himself pressed against the door, the knob digging uncomfortably into his stomach. When he tried to move away, he bumped into Cas. "Dude, can't you back up a little?"

"No," Cas said. His voice sounded strained.

Dean tried to turn around to face Cas, but there wasn't enough space. He craned his neck, far enough so that he could see Cas' face just a few inches away from his. Even from this short distance it was hard to gouge his expression, since their only source of light was what little escaped under the door from the hallway outside. But Dean didn't need to see Cas to notice that his breathing had sped up. "You okay?"

"...No," Cas admitted. "I feel... uncomfortable. It's too warm here."

"Walls feel like they're closing in?" Dean guessed.

A strange wheezing noise escaped Cas, which Dean took as a 'yes'. Which, great. Just what the situation needed.

"Try to breathe slower," Dean said. He'd never dealt with claustrophobia before, but he could remember a good number of hunts that ended with him fighting to breathe and keep his hands from shaking. "But not too deep. Slow and shallow."

Cas shook his head. "What if I run out of oxygen? The human body needs oxygen."

"That's not gonna happen."

Cas didn't question him further, but Dean could hear that he was still breathing too fast. After a split-second of indecision, he reached back with his hand until he felt it touch Cas'.

Cas jumped. "What are you-"

"Take my hand," Dean ordered, his tone authoritative. Like if he kept calm and in control of the situation, that would somehow make holding hands with Cas less weird.

Cas obeyed, his hand shaking underneath Dean's, and Dean breathed out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Now what?"

"Close your eyes. Focus on my breathing, try to sync up."

Another few tense moments passed, but then Cas' breathing evened and slowed. His hand stilled, but he kept his grip on Dean's hand tight.

Somehow, they'd gotten even closer, and although Dean would have figured that Cas would try and make his own space, he seemed to almost be purposefully moving closer. His thighs and chest and shoulders were pressed against Dean's back, radiating warmth, and now Dean was the one who was shaking. Cas' breath hit the back of his neck periodically, sending shivers down his spine. To his horror, he could feel his cock begin to stir in his pants.

Suddenly, Dean's name was called from somewhere down the hallway.

"In here," Dean answered, his heart lodged in his throat. At least the shock had completely killed any potential arousal.

A couple of seconds later someone could be heard fiddling with the lock from outside, and then the doors were ripped open. Sam grinned when he saw them. "Spirit locked you up?"

"Don't laugh," Dean commanded.

He began to exit the closet, realizing too late that he was still holding Cas' hand. He let go in a hurry, but it was too late. Sam's eyes darted downwards and widened.

"Were you guys-"

"No," Dean cut in. "What happened to the spirit?"

Dean was half-way sure that Sam wouldn't let him get away with such a blatant change of topic, but his brother took him by surprise. "Gone. There was this weird statue down in the basement and, well, I kind of went out on a limb and broke it."

"Went out on a limb?" Dean repeated incredulously.

Sam raised a defensive hand. "It got rid of the spirit, all right?"

"That was still way too risky," Dean said, pissed. For all Sam could have known, that statue might have unleashed something much worse.

Sam shrugged. "Looks like tonight's a night for taking risks."

Dean felt himself growing red and he realized he'd been beaten. Sam smirked at him, clearly thinking the same thing.

"Should we tell Mrs. Daniels that the spirit is gone?" Cas asked.

"We should probably sweep the house with an EMF detector first," Dean said. "Just in case."

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><p>After a quick sweep confirming that Sam's gamble had paid off, the three of them headed for the car. Sam walked ahead, his stride too fast to be accidental, and Dean wasn't sure whether to be grateful or to punch him on the ear.<p>

Cas, however, wasn't shy about grabbing the opportunity. "I wanted to thank you, Dean."

"What, for back then?" Dean asked, coming to a stop just in case Sam decided to eavesdrop. "That was nothing."

"It meant a lot to me," Cas persisted. "I realize that it must have made you uncomfortable, touching me in such an intimate way, but you kept me from panicking."

Of course Cas had to find the most suggestive way to describe what had happened. The terrible thing was, he was right. Holding hands with Cas had felt intimate and uncomfortable, though not for the reasons Cas was probably thinking.

"Was it uncomfortable for you?" Dean asked, not realizing until after he'd said it how stupid the question sounded.

But Cas didn't seem to find anything wrong with it. "Not at all. It was comforting."

"Oh." Dean licked his lips and decided, what the hell, he was in too deep anyway. "I didn't mind it."

"You didn't?" Cas repeated, a strange tone in his voice that was impossible to read.

"No." Dean shrugged. "I mean, whatever."

He sounded like teenage boy with a crush. Hell, he _felt_ like one. Especially when's Cas' eyes softened and he smiled, small but definitely there.

"Good," he said, and nothing else.

_Good_.

Yeah, maybe it was.

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><p><strong>AN:** see my tumblr (link on my author's page) for drabbles that are too short to post here and scenes from upcoming fic


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